Future of Fayetteville Market House discussed at public input sessions

WRAL News attended Thursday's first session to speak with Fayetteville residents about what they'd like to see. The most popular option so far is making the building an education center that celebrates Black history.

In April 2021, after months of debating, the Fayetteville City Council voted to repurpose the historic Market House, a 200-year-old home in the middle of the city where enslaved people were once bought and sold in the 1800s.

"I don't want to see it torn down because it is part of all of our history," Fayetteville resident Dorothy Johnston said. "Even though slaves were sold there, it's part of my history because it's making us stronger. We can't keep tearing down stuff, we need to learn from it."

When asked how she wants to see the future of the Market House used, Johnston said "use it as an education tool for future events and show the growth of the community."

Fayetteville resident Christopher Stackhouse said he wanted to see the Market House removed.

"I would like to see the Market House removed and we put something there that wasn't the eyesore of the pain of the past, but something that speaks to the brightness of the future of this city," Stackhouse said.

Fayetteville resident Tracey Morrison said she wants to see the Market House become a museum.

"I think it needs to represent a positive light for the city of Fayetteville," Morrison said. "It should honor African Americans, it should represent the history of the city."

Fayetteville resident Frances Ellerbe wants to see the Market House left alone.

"People can visit it and they can come to their own conclusions about history in the U.S., in the South, and be left just as is, except to make necessary architectural adjustments for the safety of the foundation," Ellerbe said.

The Department of Justice had helped facilitate two listening sessions involving 80 members in the community and presented ideas to Fayetteville City Council, but councilors wanted more input from the public before deciding what's next for the building.

Ideas for the building include changing the structure altogether, creating an art display, creating a Black history display, producing a marketplace for Black vendors or repurposing as an event space.

Group wants Fayetteville Market House to become educational space, exact plans uncertain

While the building has been a source of controversy for years, it was set on fire in May 2020 after George Floyd, a Fayetteville native, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer.

A mural reading "Black Lives Matter" and "End Racism Now" painted on the street after Floyd's death still encircles the building.

The Market House is a park facility managed by Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation. It is currently open to the public from dawn to dusk.

Fence removed, future of Fayetteville Market House remains in question